Okay, so yesterday I was struck by a baking mood, you know how it is. I decided, hey, let’s try making some cookies, but with a twist. I wanted them gluten and dairy free, just to see if I could pull it off. Never done it before, figured it’d be a fun challenge.
First thing, I hit up the internet, just to get a general idea. I saw a bunch of recipes, some looked complicated, some looked… well, not very appetizing. I ended up grabbing bits and pieces from a few different ones, then just winged it. That’s usually how my cooking goes, honestly.
Ingredients I Used:
- Gluten-free all-purpose flour (the Bob’s Red Mill stuff)
- Almond flour (because why not?)
- Coconut oil (instead of butter, duh)
- Maple syrup (trying to be a little healthier here)
- Vanilla extract (can’t forget that!)
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Chocolate chips (dairy-free ones, of course!)
Okay, so I started by melting the coconut oil. It was solid as a rock, needed a good zap in the microwave. Then I mixed it with the maple syrup and vanilla extract. Looked kinda weird, but I kept going.
Next, I threw in the gluten-free flour, almond flour, baking soda, and salt. I didn’t measure anything exactly, just eyeballed it. Probably not the smartest move, but hey, it’s my kitchen. Mixed it all together until it formed a dough. It was a little crumbly, but I figured the chocolate chips would help hold it together.
Speaking of chocolate chips, I dumped in a whole bunch. I mean, what’s a cookie without chocolate? Then I mixed them in, and the dough actually started to look like cookie dough. Progress!
Then I preheated the oven to 350°F (about 175°C for you metric folks). While it was heating up, I started scooping out the dough onto a baking sheet. I used a spoon, because I don’t have one of those fancy cookie scoopers. Made them about an inch apart.
Popped the baking sheet into the oven and set the timer for 12 minutes. I kept checking on them, just to make sure they weren’t burning. After 12 minutes, they looked golden brown around the edges, so I took them out.
I let them cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then transferred them to a wire rack. They were still a little soft, but they firmed up as they cooled. And then, the moment of truth… I tried one.
The Verdict?
Not bad! Actually, pretty good for a first try. They were a little crumbly, but the flavor was spot on. You couldn’t even tell they were gluten and dairy free. I ate, like, three of them right then and there.
What I’d do differently next time:
- Measure the ingredients more carefully.
- Maybe add a little bit of applesauce or mashed banana to make them less crumbly.
- Experiment with different extracts, like almond or peppermint.
Overall, it was a successful baking experiment. I’ll definitely be making these again. Maybe I’ll even get fancy and try adding some nuts or dried fruit next time. Who knows?